Shapes in the bright moonlight, and
the profound stillness produced an effect of the supernatural in
that wild and mysterious solitude; the Arab belief in the genii
and afreet, and all the demon enemies of man, was a natural
consequence of a wandering life in this desert wilderness, where
nature is hostile to all living beings.
In forty-six hours and forty-five minutes' actual marching from
Korosko we reached Moorahd, "the bitter well."
This is a mournful spot, well known to the tired and thirsty
camel, the hope of reaching which has urged him fainting on his
weary way to drink one draught before he dies: this is the
camel's grave. Situated half way between Korosko and Abou Hammed,
the well of Moorahd is in an extinct crater, surrounded upon all
sides but one by precipitous cliffs about 300 feet high. The
bottom is a dead flat, and forms a valley of sand about 250 yards
wide. In this bosom of a crater, salt and bitter water is found
at a depth of only six feet from the surface. To this our tired
camels frantically rushed upon being unloaded.
The valley was a "valley of dry bones." Innumerable skeletons of
camels lay in all directions; the ships of the desert thus
stranded on their voyage. Withered heaps of parched skin and bone
lay here and there, in the distinct forms in which the camels had
gasped their last; the dry desert air had converted the hide into
a coffin. There were no flies here, thus there were no worms to
devour the carcases; but the usual sextons were the crows,
although sometimes too few to perform their office. These were
perched upon the overhanging cliffs; but no sooner had our
overworked camels taken their long draught and lain down
exhausted on the sand, than by common consent they descended from
their high places, and walked round and round each tired beast.
As many wretched animals simply crawl to this spot to die, the
crows, from long experience and constant practice, can form a
pretty correct diagnosis upon the case of a sick camel; they had
evidently paid a professional visit to my caravan, and were
especially attentive in studying the case of one particular camel
that was in a very weakly condition and had stretched itself full
length upon the sand; nor would they leave it until it was driven
forward.
The heat of Moorahd was terrific; there was no shade of any kind,
and the narrow valley surrounded by glowing rocks formed a
natural oven. The intense dryness of the overheated atmosphere
was such, that many of our water-skins that appeared full were
nearly empty; the precious supply had evaporated through the
porous leather, and the skins were simply distended by the
expanded air within. Fortunately I had taken about 108 gallons
from Korosko, and I possessed a grand reserve in my two barrels
which could not waste; these were invaluable as a resource when
the supply in the skins should be exhausted. My Arab camel-men
were supposed to be provided with their own private supply; but,
as they had calculated upon stealing from my stock, in which they
were disappointed, they were on exceedingly short allowance, and
were suffering much from thirst. During our forced march of three
days and a half it had been impossible to perform the usual
toilette, therefore, as water was life, washing had been out of
the question. Moorahd had been looked forward to as the spot of
six hours' rest, where we could indulge in the luxury of a bath
on a limited scale after the heat and fatigue of the journey.
Accordingly, about two quarts of water were measured into a large
Turkish copper basin; the tent, although the heat was
unendurable, was the only dressing-room, and the two quarts of
water, with a due proportion of soap, having washed two people,
was about to be thrown away, when the Arab guide, who had been
waiting his opportunity, snatched the basin from the servant, and
in the agony of thirst drank nearly the whole of its contents,
handing the residue to a brother Arab, with the hearty
ejaculation, "El hambd el Illah!" (Thank God!)
My wife was seriously ill from the fatigue and intense heat, but
there can be no halt in the desert; dead or alive, with the
caravan you must travel, as the party depends upon the supply of
water. A few extracts verbatim from my journal will describe the
journey:--
"May 2O.--Started at 12.30 P.M. and halted at 6.30. Off again at
7.30 P.M. till 2.45 A.M. About four miles from Moorahd, grey
granite takes the place of the volcanic slag and schist that
formed the rocks to that point. The desert is now a vast plain,
bounded by a range of rugged hills on the south. On the north
side of Moorahd, at a distance of above eight miles, slate is met
with; this continues for about three miles of the route, but it
is of impure quality, with the exception of one vein, of a
beautiful blue colour. A few miserable stunted thorny mimosas are
here to be seen scattered irregularly, as though lost in this
horrible desert."
Many years ago, when the Egyptian troops first conquered Nubia,
a regiment was destroyed by thirst in crossing this desert. The
men, being upon a limited allowance of water, suffered from
extreme thirst, and deceived by the appearance of a mirage that
exactly resembled a beautiful lake, they insisted on being taken
to its banks by the Arab guide. It was in vain that the guide
assured them that the lake was unreal, and he refused to lose the
precious time by wandering from his course.
